Mulching is one of the most common ways to repurpose wood chips. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, wood chips provide many natural benefits to your garden or landscape, including:

• Regulates soil temperature
• Absorbs water to maintain a consistent moisture level
• Prevents weed growth by blocking sunlight
• Decomposes over time, mixing with and enriching the soil

As a high source of carbon, wood chips are a great addition to your compost pile. A general composting guideline is to keep your compost pile one-third “green” (or nitrogen-containing materials) and two-thirds “brown” (or carbon-containing materials). Because wood chips are carbon-rich, you’ll need to add them slowly over time to keep your compost balanced.

Wood chips can create a natural-looking, environmentally friendly path in your garden or lawn. Compared to pavers or stones, wood chips are much easier to arrange, especially when dealing with curves.